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Topic: Is anybody installing BRAND NEW Century's anymore?

Scott D. Neff
Theatre Dork

Posts: 919
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 06-15-2000 10:43 AM

I love Simplex as much as the next guy --- but with all these new theatres putting in the Strong Simplex, and the other putting in the Christie package --- what is to come of our old faithful Century?!?!

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-15-2000 11:22 AM

Century has certainly had its ups and downs through the years, but has survived for over half a CENTURY (pun intended) under a variety of management. I think the folks in Omaha have a STRONG (another pun!) committment to having Century regain its reputation of a simple, easily maintained design that can yield superb projection performance and reliability. Maybe Pat Moore has something to add.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-15-2000 11:51 AM

Last I talked to Rick at Strong they were selling quite a few of them. The best thing is that Strong has taken care of all the ORC induced problems that almost killed the machine(well it did kill many of them literally!).
Mark

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-15-2000 09:36 PM

The Century is still alive and well, from what I can tell. And depending on the region and exhibitor is still their favorite projector.

Strong has simplified the machine a bit (got rid of the adjustable shutter, for instance) and the machine seems to be running well.

I do find it very odd that the machine brought out to be cheaper than the Simplex is now actually more expensive (while becoming less complicated).

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-15-2000 09:45 PM

Isn't the uncomplicated design of the Century one of it's selling points? The fact that they're super-easy to clean and have a high tolerance for threading mistakes (particularly too-large or too-small loops) would make them ideal for (I really hate to say this) "manager-operator" theatres. Simplexes are fine, but I really do like the "elegance" of the Century design--simple, uncluttered, and functional.

Why did Strong dump the shutter-timing adjustment? It is (was?) very useful for fine-tuning the timing.

Assuming that the brand-new Centurys are actually of reasonable quality, I really would hope that they're being installed regularly. The Strong package that seems to be common with many theatre chains usually seems to include the Strong platter and console/lamphouse with a Simplex projector with 2-lens turret.

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Pat Moore
Master Film Handler

Posts: 363

Registered: Mar 2000

posted 06-15-2000 10:38 PM

Hello Again;
Thanks for the interest in Century and comments about it. Yep, Strong still makes Century, but fewer than Simplex. Despite the relative simplicity of the gear train I think shear volume makes up the pricing difference between Simplex and Century.
By the way, ORC had already dropped the adjustable shutter when we (Strong) got the machine into Omaha. WE've researched it and it's a thing where yes, people would like it if it doesn't cost anything. Century took it out originally for that reason.
I have to think we have done a lot of good in making the Century the reliable projector it had been in the past -- all the credit goes to the guys in production and engineering, they do a great job in Omaha.

Pat

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-16-2000 09:25 AM

As much as I like the Century I just wish that they had adopted the construction method used on the Westrex design intorduced in the 2000 serries of a upper and lower sprocket sub assembly. This would have allowed better alignment along the verticle shaft

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-16-2000 01:13 PM

Never had a problem with verticle shaft alignment except for some machines that came out of ORC. If you can't get the proper gear clearance then something else is wrong. Usually gear tolerance is off, and some off market brands of gears for Centurys have in the past been disastrous. I only use either LaVezzi parts,or factory parts obtained from Mr Projectorwrench at Strong. Wolk gears have gotten real good in the past several years. Also if in doubt replace gears in pairs!!
I've rebuilt cast iron "C" heads that were 50 or more years old and have found in a few of them that the upper and lower sprocket shaft bushings were reamed incorrectly. They were reamed at a slight angle. This can also cause improper gear clearance.
Mark

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Kevin Crawford
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 207
From: Sacramento, CA, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 06-17-2000 03:28 AM

What is really amazing is the foreign copies of the Century. In particular, the Moaner, oops, Monee.

If you put a Century intermittant in it, it runs almost as quiet as a Century. It looks as if all of the gears are interchangable as well. For a direct drive version that is.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-17-2000 08:36 AM

Century is the most copied projector in the world
Initially Century made a licensing arrangement of some form with Western Electric to use there sound patents including the soundheads and in exchange Western sold the century projectors outside of the US usually as Westrex (western electric export)
In canada they were called Northern Electric and manufactured the amps, and soundheads here but imported the projectors
In England Westrex manufactured the 2000 serries head which was a C (cast iron though) and it introduced the removable upper and lower sprocket assemblies
They also manufactured the machine in Italy India and Mexico (westrex)
After the collapse of the empire the italian westrex disappeared but the indian one contiued with two fifferent manufactures Cinecitta and Monee ( I don't know which came first) Westrex continued to build the 2000 serries in the Uk along with the 5000 (35/70) and also a all timing belt machine (7000) and towers as well
In the eighties Steve Kramms bought it out and moved it to the US
I understand most of the Westar now comes from India and is assembled in the US
For a period before buying Century ORC imported Cinecitta as did CFS
It appears that CFS now uses Monee
I have no info on the mexican operation and there was rummoured that there was a brazilian machine as well (the only brazillian machine I have seen was the Incol 35/70mm that was a DP70 knockoff)

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Scott D. Neff
Theatre Dork

Posts: 919
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 06-18-2000 05:04 AM

People have always said that a Century is more simple than a Simplex. THAT I have never understood...

Having originally been trained on 3 XLs and 2 Cinnemacanica V8's --- the entire thread pattern of a Century was assinine to me. Having to thread BETWEEN two pad rollers felt EXTREMELY wrong - and having to set tension by aligning two little red arrows???

SIMPLEX is much easier to thread - that much is for sure.

But I'll admit --- I've come to love my Century projectors I'm currently running as a "manager-operator".

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 06-18-2000 05:17 AM

Most people have a passion for what they learned on. The Simplex would be a damn fine machine if they would rid themselves of that little rubber/felt roller in the sounddrum. That can be removed and replaced with a spacer (use a rubber insert for a media cleaner trimmed to the proper width) in it's place with the same quality results...and it won't touch the film, which embedds dirt into the "just heated up and soft" emulsion.

Until that day comes though, to hell with the Simplex and praise to the Century.

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Robert Throop
Master Film Handler

Posts: 412
From: Vernon, NY USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-18-2000 01:05 PM

Are Century"s still available with Cine Focus? How often is it used?

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Bob Throop

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-18-2000 04:55 PM

Yes, I believe it is still available. I have used it a number of times, mainly for 70mm and it works amazingly well. If you have a high powered lamp, say above 4kw then you just about have to use it. Too bad no one else adapted it to other machines.
Mark

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 06-18-2000 09:53 PM

A V8 is the only other machine I know of that has something similar.

I think a V8 is a blower, blowing in air to keep the film from buckling in towards te lamp.

But a think a Century Cine Focus is a sucker, creating a low pressure on the base side to accomplish the same thing.

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